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Dear XIKAR Friends,
This time of year makes us reflect upon the things for which we are truly thankful - good  health, friends and family. This year, I am also thankful for democracy and rule of law.
You have probably heard by now of the recent attempt of the Cuban government to extend its totalitarian influence into the cigar accessories market. Under the guise of Corporacion Habanos, they are attempting to usurp XIKAR's private property and liberty by attacking our beloved Havana Collection.
Corporacion Habanos trademarked the name "Habanos Unicos Desde 1492" which translates "Unique Cuban Cigars Since 1492." The claim made in their trademark opposition is that the name, Havana Collection, might insinuate the items are made in Cuba. This is not what The Havana Collection is about. The collection, as its tagline states, is about "Capturing The Spirit Of Havana One Cigar At A Time." In reality it is no different than Tommy Bahama which promotes the atmosphere of the Bahamas rather than the origin itself.
What is most bothersome to me is that Cuba - a country which has no legal right to sell in the U.S., is using our own courts to impose the same bully actions that it had used on its own citizens since 1959.
It is in times of dispute such as this that am gracious to live in a country where I have a voice. I am thankful for the support of the customers and consumers who are rooting for me and am confident that with your support XIKAR will come out on top.
Kurt Van Keppel
President Xikar
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Last Updated ( Friday, 05 December 2008 )
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We finished a particularly long string of
days and several of us enjoyed a cigar
and "near beer" on the base headquarters
roof tonight. Lights in the background
are runway 33L of Baghdad International Airport.
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I have a vehicle that was blown up today.
Myself (CW2 Wargo, Jeff) and my Shop Foreman
(SSG Johnson, Ches) recovered the vehicle when
senior leaders doubted us. So upon return, like any
good team we celebrated with a kick ass Cigar from
C.I.G.A.R!!!
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We finished a particularly long string of days
and several of us enjoyed a cigar and "near beer"
on the base headquarters roof tonight. Lights in
the background are runway 33L of
Baghdad International Airport.
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Your timing couldn't have been more perfect -
on Fri, July 4th I came back from lunch to find the
package you sent waiting for me in my office (tent).
I couldn't think of a better way to spend my 4th of July
evening than enjoying a fat cigar and a cold
Beck's near-beer.
Well, actually, being out on the lake with my wife and
a cooler of actual beer would have been far better,
but under the circumstances I take what I can get! |
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Just wanted to take a second to say thank
you from Combat Repair Team 5,
FIRES Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry
Regiment here on FOB Warhorse, IRAQ
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Last Updated ( Monday, 10 November 2008 )
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“Women’s feelings about themselves were very different from those of men while smoking cigars.
“Women responded that they feel powerful (24%), attractive (25%), strong (15%), fun (43%), and rebellious (22%) when cigar smoking. Men, when asked the same question, responded in much lower numbers. Instead, men felt peaceful when smoking cigars (97%), a sentiment that was shared by 76% of women.”
That’s one of the intriguing findings of a recent survey about women and cigars conducted by the Association for Women Cigar Smokers in cooperation with Cigar Research.com
The survey, conducted in mid-2008, asked 83 women and 100 men about their cigar-smoking habits. Some of the findings:
- On average, the female smokers enjoy 3-5 cigars per month, an average of about one per week. However, 13% said they smoked one cigar a day and seven percent said they smoked two per day!
- On cigar spending, 43% said they spent between $100 and $500 per year but 24% reported spending of $501-1,000 annually.
- On brand selection, a staggering 82% said their “personal experience with a brand” was the most important factor. Packaging wasn’t nearly as important: 73% said they were indifferent to box design and 55% said they were unimpressed by label design.
- Why do women smoke cigars? Some 59% of the women surveyed said their motivation was simply the taste of cigars.
- The demographics of the 83 female smokers ranged from age 18 to 87, with the average age at 40 with representation spread across the U.S. In terms of years smoking cigars, the average of 6.3 years, with one respondent having smoked cigars for 78 years!
Both the men and women surveyed said they bought a lot of their cigars online, but women noted that they were attracted to stores in which they felt “comfortable.” Other attributes such as location, lounges and selection were much less important.
The conclusion? The survey noted “Women are smoking a lot of cigars, spending money on cigars, reading cigar magazines and should not be overlooked.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 September 2008 )
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Although the Democratic Party’s elected representatives in Congress are trying hard to regulate and tax the  tobacco industry out of existence, there will be plenty of the party faithful who will be enjoying Rocky Patel cigars at one of the bigger parties being put on during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States will be throwing an eagerly-awaited bash on Monday, August 25, with themed cocktails to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition in 1933. The evening program includes a smoking lounge, for which Rocky Patel will be supplying 800 of his Decade brand cigars. It’s hard to know why the Wall Street Journal noted that the cigars for the event "will be lower-grade than in previous years."
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Rocky & Mike with the very 1st
box of Decade cigars in
San Antonio.
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Patel isn’t playing favorites, however. The Distilled Spirits Council will be back in action on Monday, September 1 (Labor Day) with a party in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota during the Republic National Convention. This time, attendees will be able to enjoy one or more of the 800 ITC 10th Anniversary cigars that will be offered.
No word yet on whether either party has contacted Patel to make a victory cigar in November.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 24 August 2008 )
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